Simply dying doesn't absolve you of your sins in life.

[Philosoraptor]

We ALL die, and when we do, people who knew us will talk. They will remember whatever goodness we possessed or whatever kindnesses we did, and they will also remember if we were insufferable assholes or someone less deserving of praise. It's just the way it is. When Jimmy Carter dies, many people will say many good and bad things about him, and the things they say will be based along political persuasions, because he was a politician.

But simply passing away doesn't mean that we HAVE to be nice, or say ONLY nice things about the deceased, as you will notice to a degree with James Brown's passing. He was not a perfect man let's face it, but he will be praised copiously this week.

When reagan died, the republic worship machine went into overdrive, and so did the re-writing of history. reagan may have been in some fine movies, but he oversaw a lot of horror and grief and piracy and racism and political dirty tricks and corruption, and to ignore all that just because he died is silly.

When a schmuck like me croaks, no one will even notice, or debate if I was a saint or a demon, but when a president dies, you can't help but remember all that happened under his tenure and take it into consideration.

Nice things will be said about gerald ford, and rotten things will be remembered, we'll just have to live with it for a few days and try not to get all pissy with each other over it. We will disagree on ford and his legacy, but we should take his life's example and apply it to today, and to our current disgraced president.

[ixion]

1. if our civilization survives this epoch

I think history will look back on this entire era (1900's, in general), as a violent and corrupt period in the History of Civilization, that will be most largely remembered for the decades of brinkmanship played with nuclear weapons, massive government and corporate corruption and global hostility exacerbated by the most powerful governments at the time.

In short, I do not think history will be kind to us; that is, if there is anyone remaining to write a history.

[Why Syzygy]

3. There was a non-violent epoch

in history? When was that?

[ixion]

5. good question.

In 5,000 years of history, I think I'd be hard-pressed to find a peaceful epoch, although statistically speaking, there is probably one in there somewhere. :-)

All in all, though, you're right. Most is history is violent. My ultimate hope is that humaity is able to transcend this emotionally-disturbed third-grade mentality someday into something more...enlightened.

I'm not holding by breath, though. ;-)

[Why Syzygy]

7. in 5,000 years

I guess when the Egyptians had the Hebrews as slaves 'might' be considered 'non-violent'. Unless you count slavery as violence. Which I do. So I don't see it.

It isn't third grade. It's third dimension. And we will transcend :D

[izzie]

8. Often it means you were born in the right place.

My father's grand father fought in the civil war and I do not recall NE men fighting in a war in this country since then. unless we look at the Civil rights movement which was a war of a type in this country. All countries seem to have these spells of no war but I can not recall not having war some place in this world.

[Why Syzygy]

2. I have given

instructions to my one and only son child to burn my journals along with my body.
That should do the trick.

[uberllama42]

4. I can't believe what I heard come out of Cheney's mouth

He said of his former boss that he helped the country through its most pressing Constitutional crisis since the Civil War. No mention, of course, of what this administration has done to the Constitution.

I'm convinced that history will not be kind to us, because of what we have allowed our government to become, but mostly because of our refusal to abandon the corporate model of capitalism despite all the proof that it is deleterious to the country and the world.

[Swamp Rat]

10. Cheney also said Rumsferatu was the best Secretary of Defense of all time.

:eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes:

[flordehinojos]

6. i remember way back (in Cuba) when people died at home and there were no funeral parlors viewing of

the dead; the viewings were done at the dead person's home where he or she was set in casket and a candle on each of the four corners of the casket, and people would come, stand in front of the casket, cry a few tears, say a few nice words about the dead person, say a few prayers, and then turn around and go to the dining room, or the living room, or the front porch of the house, or wherever other people were congregated, and they would start talking, and sipping on some licor or alcohol containing drink, and munch on some delicacies, and CRITICIZE THE HELL out of the dead person--even, in some cases, laugh at the dead person, all of this happening just right after they'd stood there in front of the casket bawling their eyes out being merciful in their remembrances of such a dead person... it was all so hypocritical. i suspect some of the same is happening with the passing of gerald ford.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

9. When Nixon died, I was appalled how they reinvented him, and even more appalled

that the flags were at half staff.